A complete electronic musical system should have a means of performing professional music with little or no training, whether live or along with a previously recorded track, while still allowing the highest levels of creativity and interaction to be achieved during the performance.
Methods of performing music on an electronic instrument are known, and may typically be classified in either of two ways: (1) a method in which automatic chord progressions are generated by depression of a key or keys (for example, Cotton Jr., et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,437), or by generating a suitable chord progression after a melody is given by a user (for example, Minamitaka, U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,153); and (2) a method in which a plurality of note tables is used for MIDI note-identifying information, and is selected in response to a user command (for example, Hotz, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,099,738 and 5,619,003).
The first method of musical performance involves generating pre-sequenced or preprogrammed accompaniment. This automatic method of musical performance lacks the creativity necessary to perform music with the freedom and expression of a trained musician. This method dictates a preprogrammed accompaniment without user-selectable modifications in real-time, and is therefore unduly limited.
The second method of musical performance involves the use of note tables to define each key as one or more preselected musical notes. Note-identifying information is stored in a table so that each key has predetermined note-identifying information which corresponds to the key. The note-identifying information corresponding to a key is provided in response to a user selection/deselection of the key. This method of using tables of note-identifying information is unduly limited and does not allow for the levels of professional performance, flexibility, and efficiency as achieved by the present invention.
The present invention allows any and all needed performance notes and/or note groups to be generated on-the-fly, providing many advantages. Any note or group of notes can be auto-corrected during performance according to a generated note or generated note group, thus preventing incorrect or "undesirable" notes from playing over the various chord and scale changes in the performance. Every possible combination of chord groups, scale note groups, combined scale note groups, non-scale note groups, harmonies/inversions/voicings, note ordering, note group setups, and instrument setups can be generated and made accessible to a user at any time using the present invention. All that is required is the current status messages or other triggers described herein, or various user-selectable input, as described herein. This allows any new musical part to be added to a performance at any time, and these current status messages can also be stored and then transferred between various instruments for virtually unlimited compatibility and flexibility during both composition and performance. The nature of the present invention also allows musically-correct chords, as well as musically-correct individual chord notes, to be performed from the chord section while generating needed data which will be used for further note generation. The present invention achieves the highest levels of flexibility and efficiency in both composition and performance. Further, various indicators described herein which are needed by an untrained user for professional performance, can be easily determined and provided using the present invention.
There are five distinct needs which must be met, before a person with little or no musical training can effectively perform music with total creative control, just as a trained musician would:
(1) A means is needed for assigning a particular section of a musical instrument as a chord progression section in which individual chords and/or chord notes can be triggered in real-time. Further, the instrument should provide a means for dividing this chord progression section into particular song keys, and providing indicators so that a user understands the relative position of the chord in the predetermined song key, as described more fully below.
Various systems known in the art use a designated chord progression section, but with no allowance for indicating to a user the relative position of a chord regardless of any song key chosen. One of the most basic tools of a composer is the freedom to compose in a selected key, and to compose using specific chord progressions based on the song key. For example, when composing a song in the key of E Major, the musician should be permitted to play a chord progression of 1-4-5-6-2-3, or any other chord progression chosen by the musician. The indicators provided by the present invention can also indicate relative positions in the customary scale and/or customary scale equivalent of a selected song key, thus eliminating the confusion between major song keys, and their relative minor equivalents. Chromatic chords may also be performed at the discretion of a user. Inexperienced composers who use the present invention are made fully aware at all times of what they are actually playing, therefore allowing "non-scale" chromatic chords to be added by choice, not just added unknowingly.
(2) There also remains a need for a musical instrument that provides a user the option to play chords with one or more fingers in the chord progression section as previously described, while various individual notes of the currently triggered chord can be generated from separate fixed chord locations on the instrument, and in different octaves. Regardless of the different chords which are being played in the chord progression section, various individual notes of each currently triggered chord should be made available for playing in these same separate fixed chord locations on the instrument, and in real-time. The fundamental note and the alternate note of the chord may also be generated from designated fixed locations on the instrument for composing purposes, and chord notes can be reconfigured in any way in real-time for increased system flexibility.
(3) The re also remains a need for a way to trigger chords with on e or more fingers in the chord progression section, while various note groups such as chord note groups, scale note groups, and non-scale note groups can be generated from separate fixed locations on the instrument, and in different octaves. There should also be a means of correcting incorrect or "undesirable" notes during a performance, while allowing other notes to play through the chord and scale changes in the performance. A variety of different note groups should also be accessible to a user at any time, thus allowing a higher level of performance to be achieved. The on-the-fly note generation methods of the present invention allow virtually any note group or note group combination to be made available to a user at any time during a performance.
(4) There also remains a need for a way to trigger chords with one or more fingers in the chord progression section, while the entire chord can be generated from separate fixed locations on the instrument, and in different octaves. A variety of different chord voicings should also be accessible to a user at any time during a performance.
(5) Finally, there needs to be a means for adding to or modifying a composition once a basic progression and melody are decided upon and recorded by a user. A user with little or no musical training is thus able to add a variety of additional musically correct parts and/or non-scale parts to the composition, to remove portion s of the composition that were previously recorded, or to simply modify the composition in accordance with the taste of the musician.
Techniques for automating the performance of music on an electronic instrument are well known. They primarily involve the use of indication systems. These indication systems display to a user the notes to play on an instrument in order to achieve the desired performance. These techniques are primarily used as teaching aids of traditional music theory and performance (e.g., Shaffer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,266,735). These current methods provide high tech "cheat sheets". A user must follow along to an indication system and play all chords, notes, and scales just as a trained musician would. These methods do nothing to actually reduce the demanding physical skills required to perform the music, while still allowing the user to maintain creative control. Other performance techniques known in the art allow a song to be "stepped through" by pressing one or more input controllers multiple times. These techniques are unduly limited in the fact that very little user interaction is achieved. Still, other techniques do employ indication systems to allow a song to be stepped through (i.e. Casio's "Magic Light Keyboard"). These systems are unduly limited in the fact that they provide no means of reducing the complexity of a performance, or of allowing an untrained user to achieve the high levels of creative control and performance as described herein by the present invention (i.e. advanced tempo control, improvisational capability, multiple skill levels, multi-user performance, etc.). The present invention takes into account all of these needs. The present invention allows the number of input controllers needed to effect a given performance to be varied. Indications are used to accomplish this. The methods of the present invention allow a user to improvise in a given performance with complete creative control, and with no training required. Different skill levels may be used to provide different levels of user interaction. The advanced tempo control methods described herein provide a user with complete creative tempo control over a given performance, as well as allow an intended tempo to be indicated to the user. The on-the-fly note generation methods of the present invention allow all appropriate notes, note groups, one-finger chords, and harmonies to be made available to a user from fixed locations on the instrument during performance. This allows an untrained user to improvise, as well as reduces the amount of physical skill needed to perform music. A user with little or no musical training can effectively perform music while maintaining the high level of creativity and interaction of a trained musician. Increased system flexibility is also provided due to all of the various notes, note groups, setup configurations, modes, etc. that are accessible to a user at any time.
It is a further object of the present invention, to allow multiple instruments of the present invention to be used together for allowing interactive play among users. The present invention allows interactive composition and/or performance among multiple users, with no need for knowledge of music theory. The highest levels of creativity and flexibility are maintained. Users may perform together using instruments connected directly into one other, connected through the use of an external processor or processors, or by using various combinations of these. Multiple users may each select a specific performance part or parts to perform, in order to cumulatively effect an entire performance simultaneously. The on-the-fly note generation methods of the present invention allow any previously recorded music to be played from a broad range of musical instruments, and with a virtually unlimited number of note groups, note group combinations, etc. being made accessible to a user at any time, and using only one set of recorded triggers.